X/36.Forest biodiversity

Cooperation with the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) and the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and the Low Forest Cover Countries (LFCC) Secretariat

Recalling the in-depth review of the expanded programme of work on forest biodiversity and decision IX/5 of the Conference of the Parties;

1.Welcomes resolution 8/1 of the United Nations Forum on Forests on forests in a changing environment, enhanced cooperation and cross-sectoral policy and programme coordination, regional and subregional inputs; and also welcomes opportunities for collaboration in celebrating the International Year of Forests in 2011;

2.Welcomes and supports the Memorandum of Understanding between the secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Forum on Forests signed on 15 December 2009, which, inter alia, aims to identify, develop and implement targeted joint activities; invites Parties, other Governments, and relevant organizations to support joint activities under the Memorandum of Understanding as outlined in this decision, and invites Parties to provide funding for a joint staff position and activity funds through the appropriate voluntary trust fund of the Convention. Subject to available funds, this joint staff will be tasked with implementing activities under the Memorandum of Understanding;

3.Welcomes and supports the Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Secretariat of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) as signed on 2 March 2010, which aims to strengthen implementation of the expanded programme of work on forest biodiversity of the Convention on Biological Diversity in tropical forests, and invites Parties, other Governments, and relevant organizations to support joint activities under the Memorandum of Understanding;

4.Takes note of the importance of collaboration with all relevant regional and international bodies mandated to promote conservation and sustainable use of all types of forests, including those in countries with low forest cover;

Targeted joint activities between the secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)

5.Requests the Executive Secretary based on priorities identified in its decision IX/5 and taking into account recent developments, in particular resolution 8/1 of the United Nations Forum on Forests, to identify and implement, in consultation with the Director of the United Nations Forum on Forests, targeted joint activities between the secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Forum on Forests to support Parties, in particular developing countries, in the implementation of the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity and the non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests, including through:

(i)Further capacity-building on how forest biodiversity and climate change could be better addressed in national biodiversity and forest policies, such as national biodiversity strategies and action plans and national forest programmes, and in sustainable forest management practices, building on the UNFF/CBD subregional capacity-building workshop on forest biodiversity and climate change held in Singapore, from 2 to 5 September 2009, taking into account current discussions, without pre-empting any future decisions taken under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change;

(iii)Streamlining forest-related reporting, based on the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) Task Force on Streamlining Forest-related Reporting, including by organizing, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, a meeting of the Task Force, prior to the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties, to investigate whether there are inadequacies in forest biodiversity reporting and monitoring, aware of the need to follow up decision IX/5, paragraph 3(g), with the objective of further improving the biodiversity component of the Global Forest Resources Assessment and other relevant processes and initiatives;

and report on progress to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at a meeting prior to the eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties;

Cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and relevant organizations

6.Welcomes the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in compiling the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010, which will provide updated and expanded information on forest biodiversity;

7.Takes note of the findings of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2010,
and encourages the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to continue its work towards improved monitoring of forest biodiversity;

8.Recognizes the importance of forest genetic diversity for the conservation and sustainable use of forest biodiversity, including in the context of addressing climate change and maintaining the resilience of forest ecosystems;
and in this context welcomes the preparation by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations of the country driven report The State of the Worlds Forest Genetic Resources;

9.Invites Parties, other Governments, and relevant organizations to support the preparation of the country-driven first The State of the Worlds Forest Genetic Resources report, including with the aim of ensuring the quality of national reports; this may include preparation of country reports and reports from international organizations, noting that capacity-building and technical and financial assistance should be provided to developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition, where and when appropriate;

10.Requests the Executive Secretary to collaborate with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in the preparation of The State of the Worlds Forest Genetic Resources, including by participating in relevant sessions of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture and its Intergovernmental Technical Working Group on Forest Genetic Resources;

11.Requests the Executive Secretary to explore, together with the Low Forest Cover Countries (LFCC) Secretariat, the possibility for developing a workplan, including identification, development and implementation of targeted joint activities to support Parties, in particular developing countries with low forest cover, in the implementation of the expanded programme of work on forest biodiversity;

Cooperation with Collaborative Partnership on Forests

12.Requests the Executive Secretary to develop a module of the TEMATEA tool on international commitments related to forest biodiversity;

13.Invites Parties, other Governments, and relevant organizations to further improve coordination and collaboration, based on identified needs, at national and regional levels between national focal points of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Forum on Forests, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and involve relevant sectors and stakeholders to implement all relevant decisions, including the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity (decisions VI/22 and IX/5, and other relevant decisions);

14.Invites Parties, other Governments, the members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and other relevant organizations and processes to closely collaborate in implementing the expanded programme of work on forest biological diversity and the targets concerning forest biodiversity agreed upon in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020;

15.Invites Parties, other Governments, the members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests and other relevant organizations and processes to exchange information on measures that promote forest law enforcement and address related trade to increase mutually supportive application of such measures and contribute to the implementation of the expanded programme of work on forest biodiversity.